OFWs in Bahrain Celebrate Family Day
Members of the Filipino Community in Bahrain together celebrate Family Day. (Manama PE photo)
MANAMA 15 January 2019 — Being a family-centered people, members of the Filipino community in Bahrain trooped to the Philippine Embassy in Manama on 14 December 2018 to join the twin celebrations of Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) Family Day and the 85th Anniversary of the Department of Labor and Employment.
In his welcome remarks, Labor Attaché Vicente M. Cabe of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) underscored that the family as a basic societal institution is the strength of any nation.
“It plays the key role of laying down the building blocks of children’s character and society’s moral fiber but it is under threat as labor migration necessitates separation of families, hence, it is imperative to protect it,” Labor Attache Cabe added.
In her inspirational message, Consul-General and Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Maria Paz Cortes lauded Filipinos for highly valuing their families and the immeasurable sacrifices they continue to make for their sake. She urged the OFWs to lay bare to their family members the realities of harsh work conditions they face on a daily basis, so that they may have realistic expectations and together maximize the positive outcome of their work overseas.
The celebration was spearheaded by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration-Bahrain (OWWA-Bahrain), with Fil-Am Association, Traveler’s Tribe and Hagod Towelless Group as the major partners.
Highlights of the celebration included games, flower arrangement contest, massage services, and intermission numbers by various individuals showcasing the diverse talents of Filipinos.
Fourteen distressed OFWs who are temporarily sheltered in the Embassy’s Migrant Workers and Other Filipinos Resource Center (MWOFRC) awaiting resolution of their cases and repatriation received various gifts from charitable Filipino organizations.
Welfare Officer Redina C. Manlapaz concluded the program by highlighting that Family Day is celebrated yearly across posts to remind OFWs that family is the fundamental reason they work abroad, and should therefore exhaust all means to keep and strengthen their families despite the many odds and challenges of living apart. END
For more information, visit www.manamape.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinBahrain
Officers and staff of Philippine Overseas Labor Office- Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Bahrain, headed by Labor Attaché Vicente M. Cabe and Welfare Officer Redina C. Manlapaz, are the forces behind the twin celebrations of the OFW Family Day and Department of Labor and Employment 85th Anniversary. (Manama PE photo)